In a devastating attack on the Ukrainian port city of Odesa, Russian missiles struck civilian infrastructure on Friday, killing at least 20 people and injuring scores of others. The assault, which occurred on the first day of Russia's carefully choreographed presidential elections, has been described by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a "despicable act of cowardice" and the deadliest attack on Odesa since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion.
According to Ukrainian officials, the Russian forces employed a tactic known as a "double tap" strike, in which a second missile hit emergency service personnel who had rushed to the scene of the initial attack. Maryna Averina, a spokeswoman for the State Emergency Service in Odesa, told CNN, "First responders arrived at the site of the strike and immediately began to extinguish the fire, clearing the rubble and searching for victims. And then there was a second missile strike."
Among the casualties were eight rescuers, including 25-year-old Denys Kolesnikov, who worked at a fire station in Odesa. The attacks left at least 73 people injured, including seven emergency services personnel, according to Ukraine's Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.
Maria Slisovska, a 50-year-old resident living near the site of the strike, recounted her harrowing experience: "At first our windows were still intact. Then about five minutes later there was a second blast. The ceilings were damaged. In the kitchen, plaster fell from the ceilings. Thank God my mom wasn't in the kitchen at that moment."
Just a reminder that Russia executed a double-tap ballistic missile attack against Odesa today.
20 people were killed.
A double-tap attack is an attack in which a second missile strikes the same location as the first one, but 15-30 minutes later in order to kill rescue workers pic.twitter.com/YnJUkGjgvB — Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) March 15, 2024
President Zelensky, in his evening address, condemned the strikes and vowed that Ukraine's Defense Forces would "do everything to make Russian killers feel our just response." He also noted that the search for survivors under the rubble was ongoing.
The attack on Odesa, a crucial port for Ukraine's grain exports and a major base for its navy, follows months of Russian strikes that have caused extensive damage to the city. Just last week, a Russian missile exploded a few hundred meters away from a convoy carrying Zelensky and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, highlighting the ongoing threat posed by Russian forces.
In response to the latest attack, Ukraine's Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko sent his condolences to the families of those killed and wounded, while Denise Brown, the United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, condemned the strike as "utterly unacceptable."
The tragedy in Odesa has once again underscored the urgent need for enhanced air defense systems in Ukraine. While the capital, Kyiv, is relatively well protected by the US-made Patriot system, not all Ukrainian cities enjoy the same level of shielding. Zelensky has made repeated pleas to his allies for more air defenses in the wake of such attacks.
The strikes on Odesa come amidst an uptick in attacks on Russia's border regions, as Ukrainian forces seek to push back against Russian advances in the area. The head of Ukraine's army, Oleksandr Syrsky, stated that Russia had launched a wave of attacks to try to advance further in the Avdiivka area, just north of Donetsk.
As the war in Ukraine continues to claim innocent lives and cause widespread destruction, the international community has once again been reminded of the urgent need for a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The attack on Odesa serves as a stark reminder of the human cost of the ongoing hostilities and the importance of holding those responsible for such atrocities accountable.
